Our wedding day was absolutely wonderful. We are still over the moon about how it turned out, and we have Tori to thank for that. Tori made planning super easy, even though we live out of state. She was always on top of everything and was commu...nicative with us, even while on vacation the week before our wedding.
We chose the Elms in part because it allowed us to host guests in one space. Our ceremony, reception, cocktail hour, reception dinner, and welcome drinks were all at the Elms. I was worried about folks driving after drinking, but luckily, about half of our guests were able to stay at the hotel. All of our guests loved the accommodations, and my husband and I are already planning to go back sometime.
The Truman Suite was a perfect place for hair and makeup and to hang out ahead of the ceremony. The stylist and photographer had no trouble finding us after talking to the front desk staff. My husband and I were able to do our first-look out in the beautiful grounds – and while I haven't yet seen the pictures, I am sure they'll be just as beautiful.
We planned to have our ceremony in the gazebo, but it started pouring just 1 hour ahead of the start time. Tori and the team seamlessly transitioned to direct guests to the Regent ballroom, where we did our ceremony in front of the hearth, which worked out perfectly and was equally beautiful.
Guests stayed in the Regent for cocktail hour, which was planned for the patio with yard games. We were not able to do yard games, but guests still had a good time chatting over drinks. We paid for the Super Premium bar, and while the liquor was good, the actual bartending left something to be desired. Unfortunately, everyone who ordered a mixed drink was not pleased with how it turned out, and many didn't finish them. I wish we would have just worked something out to make a few signature cocktails or something. I wasn't able to eat any of our hors d'oeuvres, but I heard they were tasty.
For dinner, we sat guests at round tables in the Regent. The Italian buffet was set outside in the lobby. We added a few sides to ensure each of our guests could eat, despite food restrictions. The chef compared allergies to the food and told us what people should avoid. In truth, I pushed for a comprehensive ingredient list, because I have complicated food allergies and I wanted to do my own risk assessment (and allow my guests to do the same). The ingredient list really should be available on hand for situations like these. I wanted to give myself and my guests the agency to make their own choices about their health. However, Tori totally advocated for me, which I really appreciated. In the end, the guests really enjoyed the food and no one had difficulties with their food restrictions.
At the end of the buffet, the Elms staff brought out the cake we had purchased. I didn't know until just before the ceremony, but the cake was damaged at some point in transit. The Elms staff totally came through and made buttercream frosting to fix the cakes in time (and it was perfectly executed)! Tori even checked with me to make sure I could eat the new frosting, which was so thoughtful.
Our guests had a lovely time and many danced until midnight. We did tequila shots at 10 to kick off "late night" and the bartenders poured 41 shots!
Overall, everything was great. We just had a few problems with food and drink, but after all this planning, that seems like small potatoes for an otherwise perfect wedding weekend.